Dean Karin Ruhlandt recently announced the appointment of Emma Brodeur as a visiting professor of Jewish Studies. Brodeur’s research focuses on Continental philosophy, the study of religion, and psychoanalysis with a focus on modern Jewish thought and culture. Made possible in part by a recent $1.5 million gift by the Phyllis Backer Foundation—chaired by A&S alumnus Leonard S. Elman ’52 (Pol. Sci.), a strong supporter of the humanities and social sciences—this professorship brings interdisciplinary perspective on contemporary Jewish experience, culture and ideas.